Country Style November 2021

With the start of November, my excitement begins to build for summer – my favourite season. I find myself daydreaming of long days spent on the beach, swimming in the ocean and taking leisurely walks along the sand. This probably explains why I couldn’t resist featuring the beautiful home of Maryann and Brian Walker in Thirroul, NSW, on page 62. To me, it’s a ‘November’ house: it’s by the coast, has a relaxed feel, and it is just lovely. Another very ‘November’ home is located at Austinville, Qld. The personality of its owners, Fiona Gunn and Clancy Palmer, imbues every corner, creating a happy, sunshiny place. Also on the property is their guest accommodation, aptly named Wee Tiny – a charming cottage that appears on our cover. Beside it is a…

SUE RAMSEY Writer and copy editor Sue is a Brit who has travelled Australia, and wrote about a couple who pivoted their business during COVID-19 on page 28. As a horse-mad teenager in north London, Sue often escaped to the countryside, working in a riding stables. Now, she lives in Sydney (“with bush tracks at the end of the street”) with her husband, Norman, and two cats, Boots and Tiger. A writer and editor for more than 25 years, Sue loves chatting to people all over Australia when she’s working for Country Style. And she’s seen a lot of the country herself: “When we first arrived, we drove from Perth to South Australia via the Nullarbor in a Holden Kingswood wagon, just as they were completing the final bit of sealed road,”…

WRITE ON What a moving piece Maggie MacKellar wrote on the rewards of writing letters. I grew up in the UK and first received letters in boarding school, all of which I kept – and every letter since! They remind us of our story and of the people we have known or still cherish. And now I must finish a letter to my sister in London! Many thanks, Maggie – and I hope you see your son and his kingfishers soon. Suzi Jarvis, near Braidwood, NSW LETTERS TO FAMILY I received my issue of Country Style yesterday, when I was not in the best mood due to being in lockdown for 12 weeks. Next morning, with the sun shining, a labrador at my feet and breakfast on the table, I read Kylie’s editor’s letter…

WA Gourmet Escape, Nov 17-21 Now in its eighth year, the Western Australia Gourmet Escape is a foodie paradise featuring 30 food-focused events across five days, all set against the backdrop of idyllic locations including the Margaret River region, Rottnest Island and Swan Valley. Attendees can glean culinary tips from celebrity chefs such as Curtis Stone, Maggie Beer, Rick Stein and Stephanie Alexander. gourmetescape.com.au Festival of Country Gardens, Nov 4-7 Taking place over four days, the Festival of Country Gardens invites visitors into 18 of the most beautiful private gardens throughout WA’s south-west. Coinciding with the end of wildflower season, this is a wonderful chance to explore the region during its prime. festivalofcountrygardens.com VIC State Rose and Garden Show, Nov 6-7 Victoria’s State Rose and Garden Show is back in bloom this year at…

A LITTLE WHILE AGO, on an impulse, I posted a photo of our very messy kitchen table on my Instagram page. I hesitated. The chaos was a little mortifying and the image was a long way from Instagram’s ‘rules’ of uncluttered surfaces, clean lines and aspirational spaces. The Farmer had jokingly said a photo of the table was a pretty accurate representation of our life. I’d laughed and said, “Well, exactly, but it’s not a great photo.” Captured in that picture were two jars of mustard left over from dinner the night before, a burned-down candle, Huon pine salt and pepper shakers, and a bowl of salt crystals from the salt farm up the road. There was also a drench ‘gun’ that The Farmer had brought back from the yard that…

PLENTY HAS CHANGED in Ballarat, Vic, since 1910. Families, shops, politicians and buildings have come and gone. But for 111 years – and across five generations – one family business has been a constant in the town. “My great-grandfather started a joiner’s shop in Lyons Street in 1910,” says Andrew Mann. “I’d always seen Dad working as a joiner, and it just fell into place – I left school at about 15 or 16 to work with him, and I haven’t stopped since.” Andrew’s dad, Bruce, did things the way his father and grandfather did: hand tools, solid timber, the kinds of work – sash windows, mansard roofs, mitred joints, scarfed beams and panelled doors – that were prescribed in the old books and haven’t changed for centuries. “In the shop, we…